Botanical classification/cultivar designation: Scaevola aemula cultivar Wesscaeaqua.
The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Scaevola plant, botanically known as Scaevola aemula and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name xe2x80x98Wesscaeaquaxe2x80x99.
The new cultivar is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Sudlohn-Oeding, Germany. The new Scaevola originated from a cross-pollination of the Scaevola cultivar Fancy, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,867, as the female, or seed, parent with a proprietary selection of Scaevola aemula identified as code number 110, not patented, as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Scaevola was selected by the Inventor in 2001 as a single plant within the progeny of the cross-pollination in a controlled environment in Sudlohn-Oeding, Germany.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal cuttings taken at Sudlohn-Oeding, Germany since 2001, has shown that the unique features of this new Scaevola are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.
The new cultivar has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, daylength and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.
The following characteristics have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the basic characteristics of xe2x80x98Wesscaeaquaxe2x80x99, which distinguish xe2x80x98Wesscaeaquaxe2x80x99 as a new and distinct cultivar:
1. Cascading and uniformly rounded plant habit.
2. Freely branching habit, dense and bushy plant form.
3. Vigorous growth habit.
4. Numerous violet blue-colored flowers with white-colored centers.
Plants of the new Scaevola can be compared to plants of the female parent, the cultivar Fancy. In side-by-side comparisons conducted by the Inventor in Sudlohn-Oeding, Germany, plants of the new Scaevola and the cultivar Fancy differed in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Scaevola had longer internodes than plants of the cultivar Fancy.
2. Leaves of plants of the new Scaevola were shorter and more ovate in shape than leaves of plants of the cultivar Fancy.
3. Flowers of plants of the new Scaevola were lighter violet blue in color and had larger white-colored centers than flowers of plants of the cultivar Fancy.
Plants of the new Scaevola can be compared to plants of the male parent, the proprietary selection identified as code number 110. In side-by-side comparisons conducted by the Inventor in Sudlohn-Oeding, Germany, plants of the new Scaevola and the male parent selection differed in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Scaevola were more freely branching than plants of the male parent selection.
2. Leaves of plants of the new Scaevola were longer and darker green in color than leaves of plants of the male parent selection.
3. Plants of the new Scaevola were more freely flowering than plants of the male parent selection.
4. Plants of the new Scaevola had larger flowers than plants of the male parent selection.
Plants of the new Scaevola can also be compared to plants of the cultivar Brilliant, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 12,099. In side-by-side comparisons conducted by the Inventor in Sudlohn-Oeding, Germany, plants of the new Scaevola and the cultivar Brilliant differed in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Scaevola had longer internodes than plants of the cultivar Brilliant.
2. Plants of the new Scaevola had fewer flowers per inflorescence than plants of the cultivar Brilliant.
3. Flowers of plants of the new Scaevola were lighter violet blue in color than flowers of plants of the cultivar Brilliant.